WILL WE LET THIS MOVEMENT DIE?
I’m in the zone (not the zone some of you are familiar with), that analytical frame of mind that I get into where the thoughts coming rushing slowly and as potent as lava about to erupt from a volcano. It’s been five years since I’ve immersed myself in this Creole Hip-Hop movement and like a drug it had me addicted to it. I couldn’t get enough. The drive, the passion I saw in the eyes of many of the Creole Hip-Hop rappers propelled me to help create an avenue for growth, a domino effect of sorts that would allow others to acknowledge this movement that is so important yet viable to the essence of the Haitian youths who is part of Caribbean/International Hip-Hop population.
What I see now is a break down, a lack of motivation in many. I wonder if it’s because the money is not coming fast enough or if it’s because the industry is slow to acknowledge the Creole Hip-Hop movement. Whatever the reason, I’ve always believed, anything that you fight for, you will always reap the rewards. I also believe that before anyone can acknowledge you, your presence and what you stand for, you must be willing to fight for it. I also think about the Haitian revolution and how the slaves fought for their freedom and since we come from spirited ancestors, that as a whole whether we are from Haiti, America or Europe, as long as you have that Haitian blood flowing through your veins you can make miracles happen. I don’t know anymore. All I know is that we have a whole bunch of people, particularly, what I will now call, “The Women and Men of the Movement” have sacrificed so much in the name of the movement for each individual artist whether known, unknown or up and coming.
Our fight is not for our individual artists, but for everyone. And I wonder DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE for everybody to get back on the same page again. Are we going to stand there and let the naysayers say, “I told you so, this Creole Hip-Hop movement is not going anywhere.” I want to believe that is not going to be so, but at this very moment in time, this is how I’m feeling. As I sit here in my colorful apartment in Brooklyn, listening to my neighbor rock some reggae rockers upstairs, I feel this sort of melancholy, I feel tired and so many other emotions running through my mind, body and soul that I had to get on the computer and purge my self against the black and white. I see so many things, I see the future and I see the past. The past brings on so much joy, the present seems like I’m balancing on a seesaw wondering on which end I’m going to end up falling on. I want to believe all the hard work that I’ve put in, the work that the women and the men of the movement is not going to go to waste.
I see so much. I see us loosing ourselves. I see the togetherness slowly fading, yet there is hope because the unity is still there, but what I want to see again is that drive, that motivation that I saw four years from our most talented. I want to see that we can overcome the everyday life issues that we encounter on a daily basis, whether it is financially, emotionally or personal demons, we can rise above it all and fight for what we believe in and that is the CREOLE HIP-HOP movement, which means so much more than music. It means love, it means passion, and it means sacrifice. One person stands for all and all stand for one.
How can I convey what I see, how can I covey to the talent that is around me what I see for the future, how can I fight for something when the very cause that your fighting for doesn’t even seem worth it anymore. Should I be writing this article, should I be posting it on Kafou, Inc. Some might say no, never let your dirty laundry out. But sometimes the dirty laundry has to be let out, so people can look beyond themselves and their self centered ways and realize this movement is not about one individual person but a group of people that can make it happen.
All I ask, for those reading this article, if you don’t have a dream, a purpose in this life, then you are nobody. Everyone is here for a reason and for whatever reason, we all came together for a purpose and that purpose is bigger than me, you, Kafou, Inc. In 1804, the slaves had their revolution, in 2007 soon to be 2008, we have ours.
So I ask you this, will you let this movement die or does someone have to die for it before you get back on your feet and recognize the gift that all of you have and that is being Haitian or of Haitian descent with a powerful historical background that communicated through music can move mountains. So, I ask will you let this movement die or will you stand and fight? Obstacles come and go, but jumping through the barriers and overcoming them is what will build your strength. Don’t worry about the industry. The industry’s acknowledgment will come. However, YOU have to believe in yourself first and when you do all the pieces will fit like pieces to a puzzle. Opportunity doesn’t come knocking at the door. You have to go after the opportunity and knock on their door and fight for what your worth!
By: Sulaah Bien-Aime
www.kafouinc.com
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